Under the Moon
by CUPCAKE-L3VER
Summary: The Hokage shook his head, "But-" Satoshi glowered now, "I am taking Sakura home with me, Hokage-sama, I will not take no for an answer." She was three when her maternal grandfather came to pick her up, and bring her back to her mother's birth village, Getsugakure.


**Under the Moon**

**Chapter 1.**

**No Place Like Home**

* * *

The barely three year old cried again, tugging her mother's pants leg. "No!" she stood her ground rather well for a girl so young.

Her mother sighed, kneeling down, petting her on the head. "It's okay, baby, we'll be home again the day after tomorrow." She explained patiently, caressing her daughter's cheek with the back of her hand.

The three year old frowned, looking down cast, "… you promise?" she inquired in an almost whisper, looking up at her mother hopefully.

Her mother smiled, her blue eyes shining as she nodded, "Of course, baby." She confirmed with confidence.

The pinkette quietly slipped her grip at her mother's pants, her mother petting her one last time before standing up, "Ok. Then… farewell." She mumbled the last part, looking slightly pained at her parents.

Her father bended down, like her mother had, giving her his signature grin, "Don't worry, Sakura, when we come home I'll show you how to throw kunai, just like I promised." He insured, holding his pinky out for her.

She smiled at his promise, she had wanted to learn when she first saw him do it, it was a perfect bribe but she wouldn't fall for it. She studied her father's finger for awhile; it was bigger than hers, tanner and scared from the many missions he had been on. Then she hooked it with her own, in a pinky promise, smiling up at him. "Okay," she said, an unsure smile on her face. "... Since you promise you'll come home." She said, sounding slightly more sudden.

Her mother nodded, her blonde hair swaying with the movement, "We'll be back soon." She said, bending down to give her daughter one last kiss, before slipping her ANBU mask over her face. Her father did the same, and proceeded to jump out of the window of the Hokage tower, into the night, her mother straight behind him.

She sulked, looking out the window, slightly regretting letting them go. "Do not worry, they will handle their mission well, they always do." A voice startled her.

Whirling around she stood face to face with her grandfather, well, she would have hadn't she been three and so much shorter than him. "Ojii-chan…" she smiled, she really liked her grandfather, he was kind and always told her lots of stories. "If you say so, then it's properly true." She said tilting her head, a huge smile on her face.

He chuckled as she hugged his legs through his red kage clothing, "What about I tell you a story, Sakura-chan?" he asked, bending down to lift the girl up.

The girl placed her hands around his neck, a radiant smile on her face. "Yes! Tell me the one about how mommy met daddy!" the girl demanded excitedly.

The third chuckled, "It all started when…" the girl listened, as if had it been her first time hearing the story, ignorant to the fact that when her grandfather told her the story, he eluded a very big part of it.

* * *

**❀✿❀Under the Moon❀✿❀**

* * *

He paused in his paperwork, standing up, turning around to look at the ANBU member that had suddenly appeared in his study. With a quizzical look he crossed his arms before his chest, "Yes?" he asked, slight irritation in his voice.

The ANBU kneeled on the floor, holding a scroll over his head as an offering. He eyed the scroll, before taking it. It was a green with golden edges, indicating it was a private scroll, surprising him slightly. "It is from the council. A member meant you should have it, as it concern you." the ANBU explained in monotone, before jumping out of the only window of his study.

He studied the scroll for a few more minutes, before actually opening it.

The ANBU member had been right about it being personal. Another council member, Sato Kiyumi, the woman who was responsible for inter-village friendships and alliances, had sent him a letter, about his daughter, Haruno Mebuki.

It was concerning her death.

**_"I have received following message from the Hokage of Konohagakure yesterday; it is concerning the death of your daughter._**

**_I am sorry to inform that the earlier Getsugakure kunoichi, who on diplomatic means had to leave her village and marry into the Sarutobi clan to strengthen the relationship between Konohagakure and Getsugakure, Haruno Mebuki, now has passed on. _**

**_She and her late husband were killed in action, two weeks prior to this letter, and are now resting in the Konoha cemetery, together with their fallen comrades._**

**_The name of Haruno Mebuki, and the name of Haruno Kizashi, have been engraved into the Konoha memorial, in order to honor their bravery, and their will of fire."_**

Satoshi clenched his fists around the thin paper, making his knuckles turn white as the golden edges of the scroll ripped. He was clinching his teeth in fury, as he threw the scroll straight through the room, with very accurate aim, and hit the fire place in the back of his study.

He was mad she was dead. His daughter, Mebuki, he had always held her very dear. He had been very much against her running off to Konoha and marry that adopted son of the Hokage, Kizashi Haruno. When she had insisted on it and even told him she loved the man, he had thrown a fit, yelling at her. In the end she had left, telling him that she never wanted to see him again.

Since then it had been a little more than seven years. Seven years where he had only heard of her well being through Sato Kiyumi.

She had left when only seventeen, then been married at eighteen, and had a daughter at twenty-one.

He paused his thinking.

The girl, his granddaughter, where was she now? The letter hadn't mentioned her. Was she alright, had she also been killed? He decided against it, since there was no such thing stated in the latter, he would trust the damned Hokage on that one.

If the girl was alright then she would still be in Konohagakure. He clenched his teeth again. He wasn't exactly happy about that fact; the least he wished was another one of his blood relatives to be killed off because of that village.

That was when he decided that he wouldn't let her. He would never let her stay in that god damn village. He would go fetch her, keep her safe with him in Getsugakure, where he could watch over her as he pleased.

But would the Hokage, as her paternal grandfather, really allow him to come take her? Satoshi guessed not. He had to find a way, a legal way. Maybe there was a low in situations like those? He wondered briefly, before crossing his study, standing in front of one of his many bookcases. His eye slid over the titles, as quickly as possible, before stopping at one book.

Smirking, Satoshi took down the book. He flipped through the book, only stopping when he reached the page he was looking for.

Smirk turned to grin as he read.

He had just found the one low, which would make sure he would get his granddaughter back home.

* * *

**❀✿❀Under the Moon❀✿❀**

* * *

As one of the council members, he couldn't just leave without reporting it to the rest of the council. Though they had been a little skeptical at first, because the girl could mean something to the Hokage, and he might take offence, they had eventually given him the permission, but only after nearly three weeks.

When he, with two ANBU members, made his way to Konoha he felt almost ecstatic. He had been very happy by the fact that he could save his granddaughter from the clutches of the Village Hidden in the Leafs, she would not have to suffer such heavy fate when he could watch over her.

They had stopped at the gates, to show their passes to the two jounin on gate duty. As soon as they had seen his pass they had bowed respectfully, he was a council member of Getsugakure, a city ruled by a council, which made him just as much a ruler as their Hokage was. "Aichi-sama! Please go through!"

He smirked, and proceeded to walk to the Hokage tower, his two ANBU in tow, wanting to see his little granddaughter.

As soon as he had entered the tower, a jounin had asked his reason of being there, and when he had answered the jounin had led him straight to the Hokage's office, knocking twice before opening the door, "Hokage-sama! A council member of Getsugakure has come to see you!" he announced after bowing respectfully as the man.

The Hokage had given a surprised look, before his eyes had landed on Satoshi. "Let him in. Yamanaka-san, I am afraid we will have to take this discussion another day." He said to the blonde man whom he had been talking to.

As soon as they had been left alone Satoshi had begun talking, telling the Hokage as to why he should have the custody over his granddaughter. The Hokage hadn't been pleased by hearing this, clearly, his sullen look had been enough for Satoshi to know.

"I understand you points, Aichi-san, but do you not think the girl would be better off living here? She has already attached herself much to her relatives, and even gotten a few friends." He tried, but to no help.

Satoshi had given him a pointed look, "No. besides, Hokage-sama, she is only three, she will soon forget." He explained.

The Hokage shook his head, "But─"

Satoshi glowered now, "I am taking Sakura home with me, Hokage-sama, I will not take no for an answer. I am her only blood relative, and am therefore more than qualified to take care of her, and the low clearly states that it is I that have the custody of her."

The Sarutobi looked downcast, he hands clenched inside his sleeves. "…Very well, then." He said, feeling defeated.

Satoshi smirked.

He had won.

He had first met Sakura about an hour later, in the Hokage's own home. She was sitting on the floor, together with an unknown male who was smocking, reading a thick book, that he, from where he stood, could see was about the art of genjutsu.

He had been slightly surprised at her appearance. She had the oddest hair color he had seen, a cheery blossom pink, and her eyes where bright emerald. It wasn't that she was bad looking, quite the opposite actually, it was just a little surprising. He had smiled as he had noticed her slightly wide forehead, Mebuki had had one to, but she had outgrown hers when she reached her teenage years though.

He had been impressed when he noticed that the girl was the one reading out loud, not the male, even though she did make some mistakes here and there along the way.

He smirked, she had the brain of an Aichi, she would make it far.

The man who was sitting on the floor with his granddaughter had looked up and raised an eyebrow at the Hokage. As Satoshi watched the man further he noticed he was a ninja, a chunin or jounin judging from his attire.

"Who's that?" he had simply asked. When he didn't bow to the Hokage as any sane genin, chunin, jounin, and epically ANBU would have done, he guessed the young man was the Hokage's son, or some other family member, at least.

Satoshi smirked at him, "Aichi Satoshi, Sakura's grandfather, I have come here to take her with me home." The man gapped, dropping his cigarette onto the floor.

_"What?"_

The older Sarutobi had looked crestfallen, and just nodded, much to the younger's dismay. "…He is telling the truth." He had said eventually.

Sakura, who had by now noticed that something odd was going on, looked up seeing her maternal grandfather for the very first time. She had looked puzzled at both her uncle and her paternal grandfather who was exchanging some kind of silent discussion.

"…Who're you?" she had asked him, confused to as why he was there.

He had bend down, smiled at her, and said, "I'm your grandfather," when she had opened her mouth to protest, eyes on the Hokage, he had continued, "on your mother's side."

She had snapped her mouth shut, then opened it to say something, but in the end just closed it once more.

"And I'm here to take you with me home."

* * *

**❀✿❀Under the Moon❀✿❀**

* * *

It was almost two months since the girl had arrived at Getsugakure, and she still seemed slightly sad about the whole thing.

She had cried the most of the way home, complaining about wanting to stay with her grandfather and her uncle. She had eventually, somewhat at least, gotten used to the life in the Aichi mansion.

Enough to walk around on her own, at least.

When she had cried, telling him she was homesick the day after arriving, he had shown her his study, and she had brightened up a little.

The girl was nearly four, there were only a few months to her birthday, yet she read large stacks of books. Her reading weren't perfect, but amazing it was, he had never seen a four-year-old read as she did.

She was superb, now reading nearly two large books a week. Always ninjustu, genjutsu or taijutsu books.

When he had asked her why she had told him, "I want to be a shinobi, just like kaa-chan and tou-chan." he had chuckled at her childish statement, but if she wanted to be a ninja, he would let her.

The Aichi family was after all known for its intellectual members, who often made the greatest tacticians.

Satoshi was sitting in his study, when a little pinkette entered to greet him good morning, "Good morning, ojii-sama," she simply greeted.

He had nodded at her, a smile, which he only showed his granddaughter, on his face, "Good morning, Sakura, have you slept well?" he had made it a goal, to raise the girl to be polite to her elders.

She nodded, "Yes, ojii-sama, I have." She answered.

His eyes flexed to the large book in her arms, "What are you reading?" he asked slight curiousness evident on his face, gesturing to her books, with a little nod.

"Shinobi Training: Bind Five: The Shinobi Rules." She answered, her smile widening a little as soon as he had asked.

Satoshi smiled at her proudly, "Is that so?" he asked, "How far have you read yet?"

Sakura took a pause to think, "There's only around twenty pages left, so I'm nearly done, ojii-sama." She said, patting the book lightly.

He nodded, "Well, then I will leave you to your reading, I have a council meeting to attend to, I will see you later."

Sakura nodded, and waved him off, before going out the backyard to sit under the huge cheery blossom tree, it was her favorite reading place.

She placed her book in her lap, leaning her head against the tree trunk, looking up at the sky through the layers of pink. Wondering if her parents were watching her, if they were happy up in the stars.

She smiled at the sky, new found determination in her emerald eyes, deciding to finish the book and go inside to fetch a new one.

She would make sure she could become a shinobi as good as her parents.

* * *

**❀✿❀Under the Moon❀✿❀**

* * *

He had been mildly surprised when she one day, only a little over a month after her fourth birthday, came asking, with hopeful eyes, if he would teach her how to throw a kunai.

He looked at her surprised for a moment, before replying, "Of course."

He led her to the Haruno training ground in the far back of the backyard, a place he hadn't set foot in since his daughter had left years ago. He watched, with slight amusement, as Sakura studied the training ground, gapping at the training dummies, and looked amazed at the three wooden polls full of kunai, shuriken and senbon holes.

When Sakura finally turned her attention back to him, he dangled a dark blue, old weapon pouch in front of her face. "This was your mothers," he explained opening it, to show her the weapons it contained.

Pulling out a kunai he took stance, sakura watching eagerly, he knew she was memorizing his movements, "Look Sakura," he said, though he knew she already was, "You take stance like this, 1) to keep your balance. 2) To secure you can escape at any crucial moment should an enemy chose to attack." She nodded at him.

The kunai in his hand was a little unsharp, it hadn't been sharpened in many years, but he decided it didn't matter, she was after all only a kid and the less sharp it was, the smaller the chance of her cutting her hands off was.

Hitting the target red center-circle easily, he turned to look at his granddaughter. "That is how you do it, Sakura." She nodded.

He smiled and bended down to pat her head, giving her the weapon pouch. She looked up at him disappointed, "You won't teach me to throw the rest?" she asked sullen.

He smirked, "I will." Her face brightening, "When you have perfected your kunai throwing." Her face fell once more, and he couldn't help but chuckle at her. "I have a meeting to attend to, I will be back before dinner so we can eat together," Sakura looked up at him eyes wide, a wide smile making its way to her face.

"Okay, ojii-sama!"

As soon as he had left she had started practicing. It was harder than it had looked like, though, she couldn't even hit the target, let alone the center-circle.

She winced as she dropped the kunai, it slicing part of her palm. She looked down, watching the crimson liquid gush out of her flesh wound. She wanted to cry, but remembered the shinobi rules; number twenty-five being _a shinobi must never show their tears._

So she held them in, and continued throwing, and she still missed.

She pouted in frustration, why couldn't she hit them? Her grandfather could. Her face brightened as she realized, she had the stance all wrong, that was why.

Smiling she moved her feet, to stand exactly like her grandfather had. And for the first time she hit the target, she nailed it, the center-circle was where the kunai had hit.

She grinned, fist pumping in victory.

* * *

**❀✿❀Under the Moon❀✿❀**

* * *

Sakura had quickly mastered throwing kunai's, after that she had easily perfected shuriken throwing, and after that senbon throwing.

Her grandfather had suspected her to be a natural at handling weapons.

So he had decided to teach her how to wield the sword.

That was when she by accident nearly separated his head from his body, and he had decided swords were not her thing.

After that he had chosen daggers, after all maybe a smaller version were better for her?

Again a near death call, when they by accident slipped through her hands and impaled themselves in the nearest tree.

It was first when he had handled her the tantō he realized how bad she actually was with weapons, he would surely never manage to teach her to wield a weapon, kunai, shuriken and senbon was as far as she could go.

And that was when he noticed that her accuracy simply just was amazing, and that his granddaughter was talented on another plan that was he had first expected.

* * *

**❀✿❀Under the Moon❀✿❀**

* * *

"Ojii-sama, won't you teach me something new?" she asked.

Satoshi smirked, she sucked knowledge to her like a sponge. "Very well, then." He said, grinning slightly, before pointing at her much beloved cherry blossom tree. "I will teach you to walk trees," she looked amazed at him, but also slightly confused. "This should be easy for you, let me demonstrate." He easily planted both feet onto the tree, taking a few steps up and down.

Sakura stood on the ground only a few feet away, looking up almost gapping, "Amazing…" she had uttered.

Her grandfather had shaken his head, "No. It is not, it is a mere technique every shinobi should be able to do, if they wish for survival in this world, that is." He had corrected her.

Looking thoughtful she had taken his place at the tree, "Pump chakra into your feet, you will have to make that chakra staple, if it falls, you fall. It is quite simply, in fact." She heard his voice from over her shoulder.

She nodded, placing one foot on the tree, closing her eyes in concentration. As she felt the chakra reach her feet, she lifted her opposite foot, pumping it with chakra too. She sweat slightly, with her low chakra reserves that she was working on building up, that took a lot of chakra. "L-like this?" she asked a little strained, trying her best to keep her concentration.

"Yes. Now walk." Her grandfather said from behind her, "It will do you no good to just stand there," he explained.

She nodded, taking a slow step. When she didn't fall down she took another one, then one more, and lastly a third. The wind blew, getting her out of balance.

With a little shriek, she fell towards the earth, just managing to turn herself enough to land. "You have to keep concentrating, Sakura, you won't make it like that. Do it again." Gapping a little, she watched her grandfather.

Then she nodded, determination evident in her emerald eyes, "Okay, ojii-sama."

It took her two and a half hours before she reached the top. And in those two and a hald hours she had fallen almost eleven times. "Ojii-sama, I did it!" she cheered, as she sat down at the highest branch of the tree, grinning widely.

Her grandfather smiled, "Beautifully… Now come down here, and do it again." He told her. She gapped at him, almost falling out of the tree. "It's not perfected just because you did it once."

That day she discovered that her grandfather was a very strict teacher.

* * *

**❀✿❀Under the Moon❀✿❀**

* * *

Sweat trickled down her face, her breath was heavy, once more she got knocked down. "Sakura, this won't do." He told her, "You cannot fight like this."

She watched him with a mixture of shock and sadness, "Why not?" she wined.

He shook his head, "Your punches are lacking, so is your kicks, and what is worse is that you don't seem to notice." He scolded her lightly.

She frowned, a little sad over his disappointment. "Then… what _should_ I do, ojii-sama?" she asked, looking up at him curiously.

He smiled at her enthusiasm to correct her mistakes, another Aichi trait he had found in her. "You should create your own technique." At her almost awe stricken face he explained further, "Sakura, in the shinobi world you will not be able to avoid hand-to-hand combat, therefore it is important to at least master simple taijutsu."

She raised a brow at him, "But, ojii-sama, if you're a long distance fighter-"

He stopped her mid sentence, "If you, as a long distance fighter, meet and opponent who is able to come close, how would you deal with him?"

She gapped slightly, "I would… I would…" she tried.

He smirked, "Exactly. You would be dead. You need to be able to defend yourself, or else you're as good as dead." He paused, "That is why I wish for you to create your own style, your own way of taijutsu."

She looked both confused and excited and the same time, "But, ojii-sama, how am I supposed to create my own style?" she asked.

He bended down to pet her head, "When creating your own taijutsu, it is important to remember your own strengths. It would be absurd to make a taijutsu based on speed if you are slow, so firstly you have to know your own good points." He explained.

She smiled, "I just have to know my own strengths…" she murmured to herself, "But, what are my strengths, ojii-sama?" she asked puzzled.

He sighed, "Sakura, your own strengths are what you are the best at, you know that right?" she nodded, "Good. So what are you good at? When I look at you, I see a lot of potential. You have great accuracy, your chakra control is superb, and your intelligence is that of a genius." He paused again, to look at her this time, "But you also have weaknesses, everyone had weaknesses, so you have to find those too."

She blushed a little under his praise, but caught the seriousness of what he was saying. "Why, ojii-sama? Why do you have to find your own weakness?"

His face was serious, as he explained, "Because you have to make up for them. If you find your own weakness you can make up for it by becoming better in another field. Your weakness, Sakura, is your lack of muscle, and your speed. You are very slow." He pointed out.

She looked up at him, things going together in her head, "Alright! Then I'll make a taijutsu only for me, one only I can use!" she informed a big smile on her face, before running excitedly into the mansion, ready to create her very own taijutsu style.

* * *

**❀✿❀Under the Moon❀✿❀**

* * *

Memorizing and strategizing had always been strong points of hers. That was why she decided to use them in her taijutsu. She would delude her enemy, she could see their hand, know their weapons, learn their reaction time, their speed, their strength and also their attack pattern.

So that was what she would do.

That was the fundament of her taijutsu.

The next step had been harder for her to learn, as she should memorize the intire human body, inside out.

She had read in a taijutsu book about a clan that hit chakra points, locking them down keeping their chakra from coming out. It gave her a great idea, to the same, only with ones internal organs.

If she knew exactly how hard, and exactly where to hit she would be able to lock down ones organs, easily killing the person. She wouldn't have to fight long if she was able to actually hit the right places. ¨

Still, there was the problem of her speed and strength.

In the very same book she had read of how to pump your chakra into your body parts. If she learned that, she would be able to hit hard, be faster, and then those problems would be gone.

But, it would cost her a lot of chakra.

Chakra she wasn't sure she was willing to give up for one taijutsu spare.

It would never be her first choice of combat, she was far better off with her genjutsu.

* * *

**❀✿❀Under the Moon❀✿❀**

* * *

Satoshi looked amused as she, for the first time ever, literally pulled him to the training ground, "I finally finished it! I want you to spare with me, ojii-sama!" her voice was filled with enthusiasm.

He took stance, but not too seriously, his granddaughter was after all only five. "Okay… here we go!" she cheered, the last year since she had started her shinobi training she had come a little more out of her shell.

He frowned, her style seemed unique, yet normal, a weird combination indeed. She panted, already looking exhausted.

Sighing, he decided to let her hit him with a kick, just to see if there really was nothing special about her taijutsu.

It took him completely by surprise, however, when she kicked him, and he nearly flew backwards. He stopped her, a hand on her head. He was smiling, from ear to ear. "You did well, Sakura," he praised her.

She had missed slightly, but had her kick gotten in correctly she would have shut down his kidney. He wasn't sure how she came up with it, but it was a good idea. With only a few hits, or kicks, she would secure her own victory.

He was slightly surprised by the strength her kick had held, but had when actually sensed for it, noticed the chakra she collected into her legs and arms.

It was a brilliant idea, but, it did have its flows. "Sakura," he said, gaining the pinkette attention, "I will advise you to only focus chakra in on hand, or leg. There is no reason to aimlessly use up your chakra." She nodded, taking in his criticism to improve her taijutsu, "Also, you need practice. I will help you, of course."

Sakura smiled.

She would do her best to become a ninja just like her parents.

* * *

**❀✿❀Under the Moon❀✿❀**

* * *

**So… what do you think? Good? Bad?**

**This was actually my very first fic.**

**Criticism is welcome, as long as it is constructive and can help me improve as a writer.**

**Please review!**


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